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Nine police personnel recalled from training, face job loss with 10 others
Nineteen personnel recruited to the Pune city police force under the sports quota may lose their jobs for allegedly using fake Kurash sports certificates, police officers said
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Nineteen personnel recruited to the Pune city police force under the sports quota may lose their jobs for allegedly using fake Kurash sports certificates, police officers said. The police have also directed nine recruits undergoing training at various centres to return, while the candidates could face legal action following a detailed investigation into the alleged fraud.
Of the 19 personnel recruited under the Maharashtra government’s 5% reservation for sportspersons, 10 are yet to join the force, while nine had been sent to police training centres.
“Ten are yet to join the force, and nine were attached to training centres. They have been called back, and after the detailed investigation, they are likely to face legal action,” an officer involved in the investigation said on Friday.
The alleged fraud came to light during an investigation into the use of fake sports certificates to secure government jobs. So far, Pune police have arrested four people, Shivaji Salunkhe, secretary of the Maharashtra Kurash Association; its president, Ankush Nagar; and Kolhapur-based couple Shruti Punagavkar and Dhairyashil Punagavkar.
According to information received from the Directorate of Sports, the investigation has revealed that 71 players have secured recruitment in the police and other government departments under the sports quota since 2023 on the basis of Kurash certificates.
Police have also found that an estimated 1,200 to 1,500 such certificates were distributed. Investigators are examining the extent of the alleged irregularities and identifying those who benefited from them.
Police suspect that certificates purportedly showing participation or achievements in national- and international-level Kurash competitions were used to claim benefits under the sports reservation quota. The inquiry is examining the role of office-bearers of the Maharashtra Kurash Association, players and others allegedly involved in issuing or using the certificates.
Investigators have also found discrepancies in the certificates and related correspondence. Some documents refer to Dharashiv and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in connection with events allegedly held before 2023, when the districts were officially known as Osmanabad and Aurangabad, respectively. Police have also found names of male candidates listed in the category for women’s competitions.
The investigation began after Pune police received confidential information about an alleged racket in which certificates were prepared by showing that state-level Kurash competitions had been held, enabling candidates to seek government jobs under the 5% sports quota. Although Kurash has been conducted in Maharashtra through the Maharashtra Kurash Association since 2012, police suspect that some competitions may have existed only on paper.
A case was registered at Shivajinagar police station on September 3, 2026, under Sections 318(4), 338, 336(3), 340(2), 339, 61(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
